In the manufacture of apparatus for manufacturing, delivering, and storing ice, it has been known that ice can be manufactured from various mechanisms, including, but not limited to an auger-type ice maker involving a freezing chamber with an auger therein, a compacting head where ice is formed from shavings that are compacted, with the ice delivered to a retaining device for use by periodic discharge, for example, as needed. The ice shavings can be made from a water source whereby water is delivered to the chamber to be scraped therefrom, and with a refrigerant system comprising means for cooling the water delivered to the chamber, such refrigerant system including a compressor, condenser, and an expansion valve.
The refrigerant system can, for example, be constructed as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,126,719; 3,371,505 or 6,134,908, or in any other manner.
Ice thus formed can be delivered to an ice retaining means, such as an apparatus for storing and dispensing ice as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,030, or a storage bin such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,053, as is disclosed in an ice access and discharge system such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,758, or as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,952,935.
It has been commonplace that, when filling large ice storage or retaining units, the ice enters at a single point, as discrete ice particles, and drops from the point of entry, downward, into the ice retaining means. Such delivery of ice into a retaining means generally results in an inverted cone-shaped pile of ice having its apex located directly under the point of entry, not resulting in an even distribution of ice across the bin or other ice retaining means.